SC - OED? -OT

[Laura C. Minnick]

On Sun, 12 Nov 2000 LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 11/11/00 11:18:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
> gloning at Mailer.Uni-Marburg.DE writes:
> 
> > What's wrong paying 300 $
> > for the work of 120 years or so of a whole team of specialists in word
> 
> As you have asked, I will answer. Knowledge should be freely available. that 
> is my answer.
> 
> Ras
> The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.- Solomon Ibn Gabirol

Well, Ras, I must respectfully disagree. The knowledge itself is free- I'm 
sure you would be welcome to do the same work on the same texts. But as
you are in effect asking them to give it to you in a readable (or
otherwise accessible) form, they should be renumerated for doing so. They
are saving you the trouble of going to Oxford (or Paris or Moscow) and
looking through reams of documents to find the many definitions for one
word. 

I can't personnally go to England and read the Pipe Rolls (sort of the
Congressional Record of the 12th century)- but someone else was paid to
translate and transcribe them. This was likely both their vocaton and
avocation (it is the nature of the business), but eevn if they enjoy their
work, their time, knowledge, and efforts as as valuable as mine. And I
fully expect to pay for it as much as I would expect to be paid if I was
doing the work. 

Ever hear the old joke- guy comes to fix the furnace, reaches around,
carefully turns a screw, and then stands up and says "That will be
$59.00" The homeownder hits the roof and replies "$59.00? For what? I
could have turned the screw myself!" The repairman smiles and says "Well,
turning it was only fifty cents." "Fifty cants? Now I know you're robbing
me! What's the other $58.50 for?"

And of course the answer? "That's for knowing how far to turn it." 

You could turn it yourself, but do you know how far?

'Lainie